


Shifted

by all_waswell



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-27
Updated: 2020-02-27
Packaged: 2021-02-28 01:55:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22915828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/all_waswell/pseuds/all_waswell
Summary: January 11th, 1998.(Deathly Hallows)
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley
Comments: 1
Kudos: 21





	Shifted

January 11th, 1998

It was the stillest it had been all winter. 

The snow storm that had blown through the night before had settled over the trees, peppering the woods in white dust. Early dawn begun to illuminate the sky, yet it was still dark out.  
Ron looked down at his watch and saw that it had just hit 5. He had been out here alone since one, when he practically pushed Harry into the tent to attempt to get some sleep. Ron knew he would have stayed awake for hours if he hadn’t. God knows what he was like when Ron was –

Gone. It had been six nights since he had found them, since he had destroyed the locket, since his eyes had laid on hers again…

Shaking his head, he shifted slightly, his legs having gone numb from the cold. He tightened the blanket around his shoulders and the sound radiated around him in the quiet. A gust of warm air hit him and he turned around sharply.

Hermione.

She stood at the opening of the tent, a woollen jumper wrapped around herself. Her face was white, her jaw set, and her cheeks stained pink with the sudden cold. Without making eye contact, she closed the flap and gently sat down next to him, with enough distance to make him ache.

‘M-morning,’ he said, his voice cracking from the cold, the first words he had spoken in five hours.

She didn’t reply, staring ahead at the trees in the distance. 

Ron ran his hand through his hair and looked ahead as well. They sat in silence for longer than he wanted to, but he didn’t want to push her either. He stuck his hands inside his jacket, attempting to ease the burn of the cold.

‘You should sleep.’

He was startled by the sound of her voice. It was softer than he anticipated, not hard like he’d been used to the past few days. He looked at her, attempting to read her facial expression as she continued to stare ahead.

‘I’m not tired yet, you rest as long as you –‘

‘Stop.’

The firmness had returned to her voice. It was like a splinter, sharp and sudden, and he swallowed. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she turned her face towards his.

‘I know what you’re trying to do,’ she began, and he almost thought he heard her voice quivering. ‘You’re trying to punish yourself.’

He stared at her. Of all the things, that was not what he expected her to say.

‘I don’t know what you-‘

She shook her head and looked back down. ‘You’ve barely slept since you got – since you came back.’

He opened his mouth to reply, but no words came. She was right. He grabbed an hour here and there when Harry was on watch, but he had been taking the bulk of the night watch. It was the least he could do.

‘I’m okay-‘

His words got lost – he closed his mouth and his fingers found their way to the back of his neck, rubbing a particularly sore spot. It wasn’t exactly comfortable sitting out here for hours on end.  
Silence. He sighed, bringing his knees up and wrapping his arms around them. He wasn’t ready to go back inside yet.

‘I know you’re still mad at me-‘

‘I’m not mad,’ she said softly, and her voice wavered again. 

He looked at her, moving slightly to face her. ‘Of course you are. And you have every right to be. I fucked up-‘

‘Just –‘ her eyes had welled up with tears now and he stopped immediately. ‘We can’t talk about this.’

‘Hermione, we have to –‘

‘Not yet.’

There was a finality to her voice and he blinked a few times, swallowing thickly as the lump began to rise in his throat. Something had shifted.

He took a breath, his eyes finding her face again. She was staring at him. Her expression had softened, her lips open slightly as she stared. She bit her lip and looked down. He didn’t take his eyes off her.

‘When you’re ready, I’m here. I promise I’m never leaving again.’

A tear fell down her cheek as he stood up, his leg brushing against her arm. He took off the blanket covering his shoulders and placed it around hers. His fingers lingered over her shoulder for longer than he should have before he straightened up and moved towards the tent.

He looked back once, watching her small frame, before he disappeared behind the flap.


End file.
